Tuesday, December 06, 2011

As Hokkaido is famous for its potatoes and corn, Aomori, the northern most prefecture in Honshu, is known for its delicious apples, which thrive in the cooler climate and extreme diurnal temperatures. Aomori produces about half of all the apples grown in Japan.

Apple orchards can be seen throughout the prefecture and there is an amazing variety of Aomori apples to chose from such as Akane, Akibae, Gold, Kiou, Miki, Mutsu, Santsugaru, Sekaiichi, Saika, Sansa, Sweet Melody, Toki, Tsugaru, Fuji, Wasefuji, Orin and Kinsei - the last two are green varieties.

The classic Aomori apple is oversized, very red and sweet, a meal in itself.

The basement of the Auga Department Store has a famous fresh fish market but you can also find Aomori's signature apples on sale too.